Ethically Made: FashionABLE

I have heard of fashionABLE for a few years, but the band became personal when I heard founder NAME as a guest on the podcast She Percolates. It personalized the brand and the good being done by them to empower women to lift themselves out of poverty through dignified work in Ethiopia and locally in Nashville, TN

Brand: fashionABLE

Country of Origin: USA, Ethiopia

How they give back: Employ vulnerable talented women in Nashville & Ethiopia to use their skills and provide them with a living wage. Certified B-Corp

Charity is critical. Its importance lies in giving relief to those who are in great destitution from what are often unbearable circumstances. However, giving food, medical care, clothing, and other charity to the poor is just the beginning point to solving the issues of poverty. It is widely known that if we are to end extreme poverty, two things must happen. One, we must create jobs for those lacking opportunity, and two, we must do so for women. This is the gap that FASHIONABLE wants to fill.

To be clear, FASHIONABLE is not a charitable model of business. We believe that the end to generational poverty will come when people are able to provide for themselves. We believe that social businesses whose aim is to alleviate poverty should use their business skills to create job opportunities for the poor, not give them more charity. What we seek to “give” to those living in poverty is opportunity by purchasing goods from them, and helping those businesses grow and employ more.

Our business model is not creating goods in a strong economic country, selling those goods in the West, and then giving charity to developing countries. This still leaves the developing country out of the opportunity for economic growth, and keeps them in a cycle of dependency. We believe in doing the manufacturing in the communities we wish to impact, creating jobs along the way. Although it often creates a unique set of challenges, trade with developing countries is an empowerment model that we are committed to. (from HERE)

What I love about fashionABLE: Impacting women locally and globally, these products give women in Nashville and Ethiopia the opportunity to improve their lives and their families through dignified work. I bought my husband the Kalkidan wallet in red, now retired, for his birthday. It is beautifully soft and sustainable. I have the Fikire pouch in medium, it’s the perfect size to carry cash as a alternative to a classic wallet, or I prefer it to hold my earphones, chapstick, business card, and all my favorite odds and ends that end up at the bottom of my purse.